Car-seat construction.



J. E. KILBURN.

CAR SEA-T CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30. 1914.

Patented July 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

AVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAWVAVB AVA INVENTOR .ATTORNEY J. E. KILBURN. CA R sEA'T CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30

Patented July 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY 'UMTED srarus PATENT orrroa.

JOHN EDWIN KILBURN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HALE AND KILIBURN COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

CAR-SEAT CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented July is, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN EDWIN KiL-.

BURN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Seat Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to car seat constructions and is particularly directed to the provision of seat and back cushions and supporting frames therefor, for the type of seat construction in which the back is immovable, the construction being more particularly adapted for use in the longitudinal seating employed in some types of car.

By my invention, cushionsupporting frames of a novel, light, strong and effective design are employed, my invention including arrangements by which the frame members of the seat and back cushions are secured together and reinforced, and the means by which the ratan or other upholstery is secured to the frame members.

The objects of my invention comprise the provision of the novel combinations and details of construction which will appear more fully in the following specification and appended claims.

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and illustrating certain preferred embodiments of my invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a central vertical section taken through longitudinal seat and back cushions and the supporting frames therefor, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, certain overlying parts being broken away and various parts being shown in section, Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 4, Fig. 4 represents, to an enlarged scale, a detail of one corner of the back, Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3, showing the upholstery in position at a corner of the back, the corner plate or box shown in Fig. 3 not being illustrated, and Fig. 6 represents a partial cross section on lines 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the upholstery 3 of the seat-cushion is supported by themain metallic sheet 1 which extends the full length of the cushion, this sheet being curved downwardly in front as shown at 2 to give the proper contour to the front edge of the cushion and having a rearwardly extending flange 4L as a continuation of the downwardly curved portion 2. The rear edge of the flange 4 is turned up as shown at 5 to form an anchorage for the clamping strip 6 which secures the forward edge of the ratan or upholstery 3 about the upturned edge 5 of sheet 1. The clamping strip 6 is preferably a substantially U- shaped spring metal member having an inwardly turned edge which presses against the edge of the upholstery turned over the upturned edge 5 of sheet 1. The front rail 7 of the cushion is interposed between the bottom of the forwardly extending portion of sheet 1 and the rearwardly extending flange 4 thereof. Preferably the rail 7 is a channel-shaped member running the entire length of the cushion and welded at its upper and lower flanges to the parts of the sheet 1 between which it is positioned. By this means, a strong box section is provided adjacent the forward edge of the cushion.

At the rear of the cushion, sheet 1 is curved upwardly, as shown at 8, rearwardly and downwardly at the upper rear edge of the cushion as shown at 9, the downwardly extending flange 10 at the rear of the sheet having its bottom edge turned forwardly, as shown at 11, to form an anchorage for a clamping strip. The ratan or upholstery 3 conforms to the shape of sheet 1 and is secured at its rear edge to the inwardly turned flange 11 by means of a clamping strip .or strips 12 similar to the strip or strips 6. y

Reinforcing channel-shaped members 13 extend transversely of the seat-cushion at suitable intervals and are secured preferably by electric welding to the under side of the approximately horizontal portion of sheet 1. At each end of the seat, a channelshaped member 13 isprovided parallel to and similar to the channels 13 but having the inner ends of the lower flanges thereof turned up, as illustrated at 13 in Fig. 6, to form an anchorage for the clamping strips 6', similar to clamping strips 6 and 12, by which the ratan is secured to the flanges 13 at each 'end of the seat cushion, channels 13 being preferably welded to the under side of the main sheet 1.

Channels 13 and 13 preferably extend rearwardly to a point below the rear upper flange of sheet 1. A reinforcing member 14: runs the entire length of the cushion at the lower rear corner, this member preferably being of pressed steel, having its rear end flanged to embrace the rear ends of channels 13 and 13' and being secured, preferably by welding, to main sheet 1, at the rear approximately horizontal portion thereof, adjacent the upwardly curved portion 8. A number of flanged gussets 15 are provided, preferably of the same number as the channel members 13 and 13' and in line with the same. These gussets 15 are'formed with small vertical flanges 16, which are welded to the vertical portion of the sheet 1, and with horizontal flanges 16 welded to the upper surface of member 14. At the front corners of the cushion frame thus formed, the front channel rail 7 and the end channel rails 13 may be suitably connected together as by means of the corner-box construction illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 which will be more fully described hereinafter.

The back-cushion is adapted to be secured in place immediately above the upwardly curved rear portion of the seat-cushion and is formed on a frame, the edges of which are composed of formed steel rails. The botton rail is shown-at 17 and the top rail at 18 in Fig. 1, and one of the end rails 19 in Fig. 3, the other end rail not being shown. The four railsv are substantially the same and are substantially U-shaped in cross-section as shown, the flanges being turned inwardly of the frame. The edge of the rear flange in each instance is turned toward the front of the frame as shown at 20 to form an anchorage for clamping strips in the same manner as described in connection with the seat-cushion. A slightly arched metal sheet 21 is laid across the front flanges of the rails forming the frame and the ratan or other upholstery 22 is laid over this and bent around the corners of the frame with its edges bent over and secured to the upturned flange ends 20 of the frame by means of clamping strips 23 similar to the clamping strips 6. The frame members are connected together at the corners, if desired, by the gas welding or other process. Preferably, however, an angular corner-box is welded to the ends of the rails at each corner, as the means for securing the frame members together. Such a corner-box is illustrated at 24 and comprises a substantially L-shaped piece of sheet-metal having a web portion 25 and a flange portion 26 which are welded respectively to the adjacent endsof a flange and web portion of a pair of rails, as, for example, rails 17 and 19. Each corner-box is tapped to receive a screw 27 which is adapted to hold in place a corner of the ratan, as shown in Fig. 5. As stated, corner-box constructions similar to that described. may be used at the front corners of the seat-cushion to connect the front rail with the end rails of the seat.

It is obvious that my invention is not limited strictly to the exact details of construction described herein, but that the same is entitled to a reasonable range of equivalents.

Having now particularly described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In car seats, the combination of a metal sheet adapted to support upholstery, extending the length of the seat, curved downwardly and then rearwardly at the front edge of the seat, a front rail comprising an angular metallic shape interposed between and secured to the said upper and lower portions of said sheet at the front thereof, and reinforcing members secured to said sheet, substantially as set forth.

2. In car seats, the combination of a metal sheet adapted to support upholstery, extending the length of the seat, curved downwardly and then rearwardly at the front edge of the seat, a front rail comprising an angular metallic shape interposed between and secured to the said upper and lower portions of the sheet at the front thereof, an angular metallic shape at each end of the seat, extending from the forward portion thereof to the rear, and secured to the under side of said sheet, and reinforcing members secured to the under side of said sheet, extending in a direction transverse to the length of the seat, between said metallic shapes at the ends of the seat, substantially as set forth.

3. In car seats, the combination of a metal sheet adapted to support upholstery, extending the length of the seat, curved downwardly and then rearwardly at the front edge of the seat, a front rail comprising a channel-bar interposed between and welded to the said upper and lower portions of said sheet at the front thereof, channel-bars extending transversely of the seat, welded to the lower side of said sheet, said bars at the ends of the seat having inwardly-turned lower flanges having their ends turned up, and upholstery covering said sheet and having its ends secured to said turned-up flange ends, substantially as set forth.

4. In car seats, the combination of a metal sheet adapted to support upholstery, extending the length of the seat, curved downwardly and then rearwardly at the front edge of the seat, and curved upwardly at the rear of the seat and thence, downwardly at its rear edge, reinforcin members se cured to said sheet, and upholstery covering said sheet and secured to the forward and rear edges thereof, substantially as set forth.

5. In car seats, the combination of a metal sheet adapted to support upholstery, extending the length of the seat, curved downwardly and then rearwardly at the front edge of the seat and curved upwardly at the rear of the seat and thence downwardly at its rear edge, a stiflening member extending lengthwise of the seat at the front thereof, interposed between the forwardly extending portion and the rearwardly extending portions of said sheet at the front thereof, and secured thereto, a metallic member extending the length of the seat at the rear thereof, secured to said sheet adjacent the upwardly curved portion thereof and extending rearwardly therefrom, reinforcing members secured to said sheet, and upholstery covering said sheet and secured thereto at the forward and rear edges thereof, substantially as set forth.

6. In car seats, the combination of a metal sheet adapted to support upholstery, extending the length of the seat, curved upwardly at the rear of the seat and thence downwardly at its rear edge, a metallic member extending the length of the seat at the rear thereof, secured to said sheet adjacent the upwardly curved portion thereof and extending rearwardly therefrom, and reinforcing means secured to the upwardly curved portion of said sheet and to said metallic member, substantially as set forth.

7. In car seats, the combination of a metal sheet adapted to support upholstery, extending the length of the seat, curved upwardly at the rear of the seat and thence downwardly at its rear edge, a metallic member extending the length of the seat at the rear thereof, secured to said sheet adjacent the upwardly curved portion thereof and extending rearwardly therefrom, flanged gussets secured to said upwardly extending portion of the sheet and to said metallic member, and transverse reinforcing members secured to the horizontal portion of said seat, substantially as set forth.

8. In car seats, a back cushion, compris ing top and bottom longitudinal. rails having front, and rearwardly and downwardly, and rearwardly and upwardly, extending flanges, respectively, vertical end members secured at their ends to the ends of said rails, an arched metallic plate secured to the front flanges of said rails, and upholstery laid over said plate and secure-d at its top and bottom edges about said downwardly and upwardly-turned rail flanges, substantially as set forth.

9. In car seats, a cushion, comprising top and bottom longitudinal rails and end rails,

said rails being approximately U-shaped in cross-section with the flanges thereof directed inwardly of the frame in each instance, and with the inner edges of the rear flanges turned toward the front, said rails being joined together at the corners of the frame, a plate secured to the front flanges of said rails, upholstery laid over said plate and turned about said rear rail flanges, and clamping strips securing the edges of the upholstery to said turned edges of said flanges, substantially as set forth.

10. In car seats, a cushion-frame comprising longitudinal and transverse metallic" members each having'a rearwardly directed web portion and a rear flange directed inwardly of the frame in each instance, upholstery laid over the frame and secured about the edges of the rear flanges, and metallic flanged members of substantially L-shape, one at each corner of the frame, secured to the web and a flange portion of the adjacent ends of the frame members, substantially as set forth.

11. In car seats, a cushion-frame comprising a transverse and a longitudinal metallic member having adjacent ends forming a corner of the frame, and each having a rearwardly directed web portion and a flange directed inwardly of the frame, means for securing together said adjacent ends, comprising a flanged member of substantially L- shape, secured to the web and flange portions of the ends of the frame members, upholstery laid over the frame and secured about the edges of said frame flanges, and

seeming means extending through the upholstery at the corner and into said L-shaped member, substantially as set forth.

12. In car seats, a cushionframe for longitudinal seating, comprising a sheetmetal upholstery-support extending the length of the seat; curved downwardly and then rearwardly at the front edge of the seat and curved upwardly at the rear, end and interi'nediate transverse reinforcing members secured to the under side of said support, and flanged reinforcing means at the rear of the frame secured to some of said transverse members and to said support at the rear, vertical members secured to said longitudinal members, an arehed metallic This specification signed and witnessed plate secured to the front flanges of said this 27th day of November, 1914:.

lon 'itudinal members and upholstery laid (we? said plate and secured at its top and JOHN EDWIN KILBURN' 5 bottom ed es about said turned portions at Witnesses:

the rear 0 said top and bottom frame mem- WM. J. EARNsHAW,

bers, substantially as set forth. WILLIAM J. CONWAY. 

